La Dulce Vida : Inkan Adjustment

View of Cusco from Cristo Blanco.

Peruvian national symbol in the
mountain from Plaza De Armas.

Stray dogs everywhere.

Hello All! Well Sarah and I have been here in Cusco for a week and we are slowly adjusting to our new surroundings. One of the the first things we noticed about Cusco is the small busses, cars, and driving lanes. There are very few traffic lights and rules, which makes traveling around interesting and exciting. The markets are as colorful and overwhelming as the people. Although Cusco is a high traffic tourist area, the part of Cusco we are live in is on the outskirts, where the sight of a "gringo" traveling on the bus is not very common. I, personally, have already had a few interesting bus experiences. People here drive like maniacs, but the accident rate is very low- except on this day... I was riding the bus that hit a car making a left hand turn. There I was, wide eyed and crouching over, frantically looking around to see what happened, while everyone else on the bus paid no attention to the crash. A short stop and conversation later, we continued back on our route. No big deal. My next bus experience involved me standing at the front of the bus as it came to a very abrupt stop, avoiding another accident, only to have seven Peruvians pile on top of me, cursing out the bus driver the entire time. Other than the busses and taxis being very small and very rushed, our travels are typically uneventful.

Golden Incan.

Thanksgiving Meal. Pizza and
ice cold Sprite

This week held the wonderful Thanksgiving thursday that every American loves, but no Peruvian understands. Homesick and with our stomachs adjusting to the food and drink here in Peru, Thanksgiving was a very low key day for us. We talked to our families on Skype and, after sipping on Sprite and Pepto, decided we needed to support our "MMerican" side and went out to get some greasy pizza and drinks with purified ice. Purified ice is a hot commodity, along with cold drinks...pun intended. I have literally had dreams about ice cold gatorades and capri suns.

Angelika in front.

In terms of our volunteer work, I have done very little in the first clinic here named "Clinica San Juan de Dios". It is a nice clinic but the patient load has been infrequent and the doctors do not seem open to teach or want any help with their patients. I am doing something different this upcoming week. On Monday I am going to a special-needs orphanage where I will be doing basic check-ups on children that have no medical attention. Hopefully I can do something to help these kids. I have also been accompanying Sarah to the orphanage she is volunteering with. This past week I helped the girls out a little bit with things like cleaning out their noses and ears. One girl in particular, Angelika, has such a plugged nose full of snot that her nostril has become red and inflamed. The idea of helping out a four year old girl with her pain sounds easy but the convincing and follow through is another story. Most of these girls have severely dry skin and patches of Dermatitis from living in a dirty, shared environment. Their clothes are not regularly changed, I imagine they share towels, and do not regularly wash their hands or faces. I plan on returning this week with basic over-the-counter medical supplies and health maintenance materials. Hopefully, between swinging them around in the air and being a human jungle-gym, I can help these girls out.

Chocolate Museum.

Sarah checking out a corner sales tent.

Other activities we have done so far have included wandering around the markets near our host home. All I can say is that these markets have EVERYTHING, but the pictures explain a lot more. When I say everything, I mean everything from jeans, shoes, TV's, toothbrushes, toys, food, stereos, bags and keys to other household items. We have also visited "Coco Museo," the chocolate museum. It was both delicious and informative. Today we walked up the hill to Cristo Blanco, which is a white statue of Jesus Christ. Along the way, we saw a baby llama that Sarah got to hold. This quick incline and hike lead us to a breath taking view of Cusco, literally.